The present invention is related to solar collectors, and more particularly to structures and articulation systems used for maneuvering solar collectors.
Solar radiation is the most abundant energy source on earth. However, attempts to harness solar power on large scales have so far failed to be economically competitive with most fossil-fuel energy sources.
One reason for the lack of adoption of solar energy sources on a large scale is that fossil-fuel energy sources have the advantage of economic externalities, such as low-cost or cost-free pollution and emission. Political solutions have long been sought to right these imbalances.
Another reason for the lack of adoption of solar energy sources on a large scale is that the solar flux is not intense enough for direct conversion at one solar flux to be cost effective. Solar energy concentrator technology has sought to address this issue.
Specifically, solar radiation is one of the most easy energy forms to manipulate and concentrate. It can be refracted, diffracted, or reflected, to many thousands of times the initial flux, utilizing only modest materials.
With so many possible approaches, there have been a multitude of previous attempts to implement low cost solar energy concentrators. So far, however, solar concentrator systems cost too much to compete unsubsidized with fossil fuels, in part because of excessive material and installation costs in the mechanical supports and solar tracking apparatus for the collectors. While many solar collectors utilize support trusses, their architectures lead to excessive material usage, and complicated and time consuming assembly and installation, rendering them unsuitable for large-scale solar farming.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for support structures used to maneuver solar collectors that are robust, less expensive and easier to install and use.
There is also a need in the art for solar energy concentrators that occupy less areas and use less materials making them less expensive and better able to compete economically with existing fossil fuels.